Kartan stone tools
Encyclopedia
Kartan industry is the archaeological production, probably more than 10,000 years ago, of a large quantity of exceptionally large stone tool
s that were found on Ramindjeri
Karta also known since 1802 as Kangaroo Island
, South Australia
.
s". Such Kartan tools are also, writes Kohen, found on the South Australian coast, the Flinders Ranges
, and at Lime Springs in New South Wales
.
According to Kohen, "the Kartan industry consists almost exclusively of large core tools
, unifacially flaked
pebble tools and hammerstone
s". The tools are very heavy, averaging around 900 grams, "perhaps ten times the average of any other assemblage".
Some of the Kartan tools are "horsehoof" cores, defined by Josephine Flood as having a "flat base, an overhanging, step-flaked edge, and a high, domed shape like a horse's hoof"; their function is unexplained, and while they might have been used as choppers, they could simply be waste cores from the production of flake tools.
Over 120 Kartan sites have been found, yielding thousands of pebble choppers and hundreds of hammerstones. Most of the Kartan tools from Kangaroo island itself are composed of Quartzite
brought into the sites from as far as 35 kilometres away.
which may well have been used to butcher sea lions
"; sea lion bones were found with the pebble tool. However, Kohen cautions, the possible link between Kartan industry and "butchering of large game" does not prove that large animals "were actively hunted".
Stone tool
A stone tool is, in the most general sense, any tool made either partially or entirely out of stone. Although stone tool-dependent societies and cultures still exist today, most stone tools are associated with prehistoric, particularly Stone Age cultures that have become extinct...
s that were found on Ramindjeri
Ramindjeri
Ramindjeri are a clan of Australian Aboriginal people forming part of the Ngarrindjeri people. Ramindjeri land is the most westerly of the Ngarrindjeri, covering the area around Encounter Bay in southern South Australia, including Victor Harbor and Port Elliot, however an ongoing native title...
Karta also known since 1802 as Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island is Australia's third-largest island after Tasmania and Melville Island. It is southwest of Adelaide at the entrance of Gulf St Vincent. Its closest point to the mainland is off Cape Jervis, on the tip of the Fleurieu Peninsula in the state of South Australia. The island is long...
, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
.
An island mystery
Kartan culture archaeology presents a puzzle, according to historian Rebe Taylor, who quotes the archaeologist Ronald Lampert: "The problem had all the characteristics of a classic mystery story: a large offshore island without people [today], separated .. nearly 10,000 years ago, yet with abundant evidence of human population." Indeed, Lampert called his book The great Kartan mystery.Heavy stone tools
James Kohen, in his book Aboriginal Environmental Impacts, describes the Aboriginal stone tool assemblage of Karta as "heavy core tools and pebble chopperChopper (archaeology)
Archaeologists define a chopper as a pebble tool with an irregular cutting edge formed through the removal of flakes from one side of a stone....
s". Such Kartan tools are also, writes Kohen, found on the South Australian coast, the Flinders Ranges
Flinders Ranges
Flinders Ranges is the largest mountain range in South Australia, which starts approximately north west of Adelaide. The discontinuous ranges stretch for over from Port Pirie to Lake Callabonna...
, and at Lime Springs in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
.
According to Kohen, "the Kartan industry consists almost exclusively of large core tools
Lithic core
In archaeology, a lithic core is a distinctive artifact that results from the practice of lithic reduction. In this sense, a core is the scarred nucleus resulting from the detachment of one or more flakes from a lump of source material or tool stone, usually by using a hard hammer percussor such...
, unifacially flaked
Lithic flake
In archaeology, a lithic flake is a "portion of rock removed from an objective piece by percussion or pressure," and may also be referred to as a chip or spall, or collectively as debitage. The objective piece, or the rock being reduced by the removal of flakes, is known as a core. Once the proper...
pebble tools and hammerstone
Hammerstone
In archaeology, a hammerstone is a hard cobble used to strike off lithic flakes from a lump of tool stone during the process of lithic reduction. The hammerstone is a rather universal stone tool which appeared early in most regions of the world including Europe, India and North America...
s". The tools are very heavy, averaging around 900 grams, "perhaps ten times the average of any other assemblage".
Some of the Kartan tools are "horsehoof" cores, defined by Josephine Flood as having a "flat base, an overhanging, step-flaked edge, and a high, domed shape like a horse's hoof"; their function is unexplained, and while they might have been used as choppers, they could simply be waste cores from the production of flake tools.
Over 120 Kartan sites have been found, yielding thousands of pebble choppers and hundreds of hammerstones. Most of the Kartan tools from Kangaroo island itself are composed of Quartzite
Quartzite
Quartzite is a hard metamorphic rock which was originally sandstone. Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tectonic compression within orogenic belts. Pure quartzite is usually white to gray, though quartzites often occur in various shades of pink...
brought into the sites from as far as 35 kilometres away.
Use of large game animals
Few Kartan flakes have been found, but Kohen reports one find by Draper on Kangaroo Island , in a site dated to 7000 years ago, "a chopperChopper (archaeology)
Archaeologists define a chopper as a pebble tool with an irregular cutting edge formed through the removal of flakes from one side of a stone....
which may well have been used to butcher sea lions
Sea Lion
Sea lions are pinnipeds characterized by external ear-flaps, long fore-flippers, the ability to walk on all fours, and short thick hair. Together with the fur seal, they comprise the family Otariidae, or eared seals. There are six extant and one extinct species in five genera...
"; sea lion bones were found with the pebble tool. However, Kohen cautions, the possible link between Kartan industry and "butchering of large game" does not prove that large animals "were actively hunted".